HP Slate 7 Extreme VS Microsoft Surface RT 2: Tablet Battle

As a tablet consumer, i think we should all feel really grateful because there is a wide range of tablet options available on the market right now that we can choose from according to our specific needs and the most importantly, our budget.

If you’re looking for a great gaming tablet, there are many many choices out there that you might want to check out – like HP Slate 7 Extreme, NVIDIA Shield Tablet, Xiaomi Mi Pad, Kindle Fire HDX (7 and 8.9), Google Nexus 9 and many other more.

And amazingly, its stylus is really amazing just like the S-Pen, thanks to the advanced technology and the stylus itself developed and engineered by a company N-Trig.

So just like Samsung’s Note 8, you can also take notes and even draw some professional paintings on this device (if you have the expertise of course).

On the other hand, Microsoft Surface RT 2 is in the different category.

This tablet is intended by Microsoft as a simple productivity tablet – or the simpler version of Surface Pro, if you would.

And that’s why it comes with Smart Cover (keyboard cover) just like the Pro version.

Interestingly, its sibling – Microsoft Surface Pro 2 – actually also has a stylus that also great writing experience (along with the palm rejection just like on HP Slate 7 Extreme).

I'm not sure if the Microsoft Surface RT 2 also comes with the stylus.

But the questions remain. With all of their high-grade specs and their great gaming performance, does HP Slate 7 Extreme stack up against Microsoft Surface RT 2?

Do both tablets deserve to be positioned alongside other tablets on today’s tablet market?

Which one is great, especially for this holiday season, HP Slate 7 Extreme or Microsoft Surface RT 2?

Hopefully these questions will get their answers at the end of this review. So be sure to stick around.

Design

In terms of design, it’s very obvious that HP Slate 7 Extreme looks different than Microsoft Surface RT 2.

And that’s not shocking given that these 2 devices are 2 entirely different category tablets - HP Slate 7 Extreme is a note-taking tablet, while Microsoft Surface RT 2 is a pure productivity tablet (given its keyboard cover).

Besides, both tablets use different screen sizes as a starter - HP Slate 7 Extreme is equipped with 7-inch display, while Microsoft Surface RT 2 deploys a larger 10.6-inch display.

They basically are really great when it comes to design. But in my opinion, i think HP Slate 7 Extreme is the winner here because not only does its design look great and elegant (especially with “HP” logo on the back), but it also offers some benefits to user.

Microsoft Surface RT 2

Microsoft Surface RT 2

HP Slate 7 Extreme

HP Slate 7 Extreme

And one of them is its better sound quality, which is really clear and loud because there are dual-speaker grilles provided on the front device (left and right), allowing the sound to come out easily and loudly in front of user.

But Microsoft Surface RT 2 can also be the winner here when it comes to durability. Its build quality is really sturdy and strong, and it even could survive some extreme drop tests (as shown on YouTube videos).

Not to mention, there is also the kickstand on this tablet, which is really handy to use especially for doing some productivity tasks with keyboard cover or even simply watching movies.

It has a much sharper full HD display, larger screen, 3.5MP front-facing camera, Microsoft Office RT 2013 pre-installed and its Windows RT platform has more serious features related to productivity – as opposed to the 720p display, VGA front-facing camera and Android UI on HP Slate7 Extreme.

But even so, i still personally think that HP Slate 7 Extreme can be a much better choice here because it has the stylus and this stylus is really amazing.

It’s even as great as the S-Pen of Samsung Note, especially in terms of writing or note-taking experience.

HP Slate 7 Extreme also has a great and sharp 5MP camera – as seen on many reviews on YouTube. Not to mention, HP Slate 7 Extreme comes with GPS, Java and full-featured Android OS.

Screen

Microsoft Surface RT 2 definitely holds the crown on this screen department with its full HD display, as opposed to the 720p display on HP Slate 7 Extreme.

Not to mention, Microsoft’s tablet also adopts 10.6-inch display, which provides a larger screen real estate than the 7-inch display of HP Slate 7 Extreme.

So when it comes to sharpness, Microsoft Surface RT 2 is the clear winner here.

But even so, having 720p resolution is actually still good enough on a 7-inch display. it may not look as sharp as 1080p tablets, but it’s still okay for most of users.

Besides, by using this medium resolution screen, it makes this tablet perform much faster and smoother, plus more efficient with the use of battery.

HP’s tablet comes pre-installed with stock Android UI and all of its features, while Microsoft’s tablet is injected with Windows RT platform, which resembles the looks of the full-fledged Windows 8 Pro OS.

So this will come down to your preference actually.

I mean, if you’re a big fan of Android UI especially with its homescreen, widgets element and features, then you will feel at home when using HP Slate 7 Extreme.

The UI of this tablet is as stock as the one found on Nexus devices.

On the other hand, if you love being caged in the Live-Tile UI of Windows RT OS, then you’ll be glad if you decide to purchase Microsoft Surface RT.

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As far as the performance is concerned, Microsoft Surface RT tablet is probably more superior than HP Slate 7 Extreme.

And that’s mostly because this Microsoft’s tablet comes with a very light UI, not the full-fledged Windows 8 Pro OS.

On the other hand, even though HP Slate 7 Extreme comes pre-installed with stock Android UI with no necessary bloatwares or pre-loaded apps, the Android UI of this tablet is still heavier than Windows RT on Surface RT 2.

So in terms of performance, Surface RT 2 can be considered as a bit faster and smoother compared to HP Slate 7 Extreme.

Even so, both tablets are still equally great in overall performance.

They run smoothly with no lag whatsoever, especially when deployed with some basic daily tasks.

But if pitted together side-by-side, Microsoft Surface RT 2 is gonna be the better performer here given its light UI compared to the full-featured Android OS on HP Slate 7 Extreme.

And this is probably why Microsoft decides to lower its clock speed to just 1.7GHz, compared to HP Slate 7 Extreme that uses higher 1.8GHz clock speed.

It’s very obvious – even from its looks – that Windows RT deploys very light-weight UI than Android OS.

Meanwhile, when used as a gaming device, i think HP Slate 7 Extreme is a better performer here than Microsoft’s tablet.

And that’s mostly because – besides its lower-resolution 720p screen -, this tablet also has a wide range of games available on Google Play Store, not to mention some THD or Tegra-optimized games specifically for this device.

On the other hand, despite using the same powerful Tegra 4 processor just like HP Slate 7 Extreme, this Microsoft’s tablet has a really limited game catalog for its Windows RT platform.

So you’ll have a hard time finding many of your favorite apps and games that you’ve come to love on Android or iOS.

And this contradicts with HP Slate 7 Extreme, where you’ll be able to find many great games like Horn, Dead Trigger, ShadowGun including some latest graphics intense games like Modern Combat 5, GTA San Andreas, NOVA 3, Asphalt 8: Airborne and a lot more, not to mention the new ones released next year.

Meanwhile, on Windows RT of Microsoft’s tablet, you may find some popular games like Modern Combat 5, Asphalt 8: Airborne or GTA San Andreas.

But there are many other great and even popular games that you might never see for this device, even in the next years to come.

So if you finally decide to buy Microsoft Surface RT, you must also accept that many of your favorite apps and games won’t be available for this tablet.

But despite all that, i still think that both HP Slate 7 Extreme and Microsoft Surface RT 2 are great gaming tablets, especially in terms of performance.

And that’s thanks to NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor that is just really powerful for playing games.

However, there is still one downside on these 2 tablets.

And that is their overheating issue. As you might already know (or not), Tegra 4 tablets are mostly plagued by this same problem.

So their rear covers get hotter especially when doing some heavy tasks like playing games for example.

But it’s probably not significant especially if you use some external case on the tablet to protect your hands from touching the heat directly on the rear cover (and i’ve been there too, which is not really comfortable).

Well, if you can deal with that problem and you’re okay having this overheating issue, then you’ll make no mistaken if you decide to buy any of these tablets.

Not only are they great as media-consumption devices and gaming tablets, but they’re also great machines to do some productivity-related tasks.

Anyway guys, if you want to know more about the gaming performance of HP Slate 7 Extreme and Microsoft Surface RT 2, including what games that will run on these tablets, check out my YouTube video playlist or Pinterest page. :)

And that’s because this tablet is equipped with a lower-resolution screen compared to the full HD display on Microsoft Surface RT 2.

The clock speed of processor on Microsoft’s tablet may be a bit lower – which is 1.7GHz -, compared to the 1.8GHz clock speed per core on HP Slate 7 Extreme.

Not to mention, its Windows RT UI is lighter than the stock Android UI. However, having a full HD display can drain a lot of juice from the battery of any tablet, including this Microsoft Surface RT.

But even so, according to many reviews on YouTube, both tablets have great battery life, although the winner here is definitely HP Slate 7 Extreme.

And i believe these 2 tablets are more than happier to accompany you in a solid day, even in heavy use.

However, the story would be different if you are a power user.

The battery life of these 2 tablets would drop drastically faster even in just few hours if you’re using them for doing some heavy intense tasks without resting the screen at all – like watching HD movies in marathon or playing games in the row.

My Personal Opinions

So my final conclusion of these 2 tablets is, i think both tablets are great, no doubt about that.

HP Slate 7 Extreme is a great note-taking device that has powerful gaming performance and its stylus is also as great as the S-Pen of Samsung’s Note.

It goes the same with Microsoft Surface RT 2.

Not only is this tablet great as a productivity device, but it’s also amazing as a gaming tablet even though its game catalog is quite limited compared to Android OS.

However, when it comes gaming, you might want to pick up HP Slate 7 Extreme instead because on this tablet, you’ll be able to find a wide range of games available on Google Play Store or NVIDIA’s Tegra-optimized app market – all of them, the popular titles or the most downloaded games, you got them all on this device.

Long story short, if you’re looking for a gaming tablet, then HP Slate 7 Extreme is definitely your choice.

But if you’re only looking for a productivity tablet with keyboard dock but also great gaming performance, then Microsoft Surface RT 2 can be your destination.

Besides its powerful gaming performance, the other great things found on HP Slate 7 Extreme are its stylus and its cameras.

According to many reviews on the net and YouTube, the stylus of HP Slate 7 Extreme is really amazing, enabling user not only to write simple notes, but to even draw some professional paintings.

So similar just the S-Pen of Samsung GALAXY Note, the thickness of the stylus can be easily controller on the fly by only using our pressure of the stylus on the screen.

In fact, its rear-facing camera is even able to take some decent quality shots, as seen on many reviews.

How about Microsoft Surface RT 2? Well, this tablet is also as great as HP Slate 7 Extreme, but of course as a productivity device.

So if you’re looking for a reliable productivity tablet that has razor-sharp display and great gaming performance, not to mention Smart Cover (keyboard cover), you’ll make no mistake if you decide to buy this device.

So to end this review, i’ll try to answer some of the questions i’ve asked previously above:

Does HP Slate 7 Extreme stack up against Microsoft Surface RT 2? Yes, but on some specific sectors, like gaming performance, battery life and camera quality.

However, when it comes to sharpness of display, Microsoft Surface RT 2 is definitely the clear winner here.

Do both of these tablets deserve to be positioned alongside other tablets on today’s tablet market? Yes – despite being last-year tablets, either HP Slate 7 Extreme or Microsoft Surface RT 2 still deserve to be pitted alongside other rivals on the market right now.

But of course, in each different category. HP Slate 7 Extreme in the note-taking tablet market, while Microsoft Surface RT 2 in the productivity tablet market.

Which one is great, especially for this holiday season, HP Slate 7 Extreme or Microsoft Surface RT 2? I think I’m gonna go with HP Slate 7 Extreme, especially given its app and game catalog.
This HP’s tablet may not have the full HD display, larger display, huge RAM or Microsoft Office that comes pre-installed on Microsoft Surface RT 2.

However, in the end, the availability of games and apps of this HP’s tablet will hold an integral part of how this device will be a great tablet for long-term use or otherwise, a powerful tablet that has no future because its available apps are just limited, even in the next years to come.

Disclaimer: Hi guys, bear in mind that this is not some in-depth review. This is Read more...